Fights & Feuds

Capitol Records is raising eyebrows with its recent signing of a digital rapper named FN Meka -- an artificial lifeform that creates music through computer intelligence -- and veteran human MC Krayzie Bone has mixed thoughts!

We got the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony member outside of Dash Radio and on one hand, he thinks it could start a booming trend ... which isn't hard to see, given the popularity of TikTok, the metaverse and cryptocurrency.

Of course, Krayzie sees the writing on the wall ... real rappers could be out of work and label signings as a result of the digital uprising.

He's not alone in his thinking ... The Game, Lil Mama and R&B singer Sammie all railed against the announcement ... forcing FN Meka (or its handlers) to make the Instagram account private, which is not a good look for a new artist -- real or otherwise.

One weighty cosign FN Meka has going for him/it is Gunna, who was featuring with gaming streamer Clix on the AI rapper's debut single, "Florida Water."

Krayzie also took time out to address the ongoing legal drama brewing between Swizz Beatz, Timbaland and their Verzuz partners at Triller.

If you remember, Krayzie was a part of one of the most memorable episodes ... Bone Thugs Verzuz Three 6 Mafia, most notable for Bizzy Bone's wild on-stage brawl that almost shut down the event.

Kamaru Usman has an opponent in mind for his next fight after Leon Edwards -- but it's not anyone in the welterweight, or even middleweight division -- the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world says he's eyeing a move to light heavyweight!

"A lot of people think I'm joking when I say [I wanna move up]. I wanted to skip -- skip middleweight and I want the light heavyweight belt because I wanna be a two-division champion," Usman told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

The 35-year-old, 170 lb. champ continued ... "One, not only am I the best in the world, but I wanna prove that I am the pound-for-pound best, so I'm gonna skip that pound-for-pound, I'm gonna take that light heavyweight belt and I'm gonna defend the belt."

There's a reason Kamaru plans to jump two divisions, and not just move up one and fight at 185 lbs. ... the middleweight champ is Israel Adesanya.

Kamaru and Izzy are tight ... and have said they'd never fight each other.

Meanwhile, Kamaru and Jiri Prochazka -- the light heavyweight champ -- not so tight.

29-year-old Prochazka, who beat Glover Teixeira for the title in June, stands 6'4" tall. He hasn't lost since 2015. Not to be outdone ... Usman hasn't been defeated since 2013.

But Usman isn't looking to abandon the division he's ruled for 3.5 years ... the Nigerian Nightmare says he's planning to defend both belts once he beats Jiri.

"I'll defend both belts so people can really understand what it means to be pound-for-pound," Kamaru says ... "Not just this fictitious stuff that they make up. When I actually go up and do it and I walk away from the sport, I'll let you decide what you wanna call me or my legacy."

We also talked to Kamaru about landing a role in the new Black Panther movie ... a project that's incredibly important to the star fighter.

"For one, I'm extremely excited because it's my first one. I knew I was gonna be in movies some point, one day, but to be in that movie, I'm extremely excited because that's a movie that transcends just being a movie star. It's a movie that stands for something, it's a movie that represents something so powerful."

And, it won't be the last film in which Usman appears ... despite the fact people have accused him of being "Hollywood."

"It's crazy 'cause people are 'oh he Hollywood now.' Of course! Ya damn right I'm Hollywood now. I wanted to be Hollywood. What's wrong? You don't want me to be Hollywood?!"

"You want me eat Little Caesars and Ramen noodles in my little shack all day every day for the rest of my life? No, I'm gonna be Hollywood, but one thing they're failing to realize is that it took work to get to this point to be Hollywood."

Usman takes on Leon Edwards for the second time (Kamaru won by unanimous decision in 2015) at UFC 278 Saturday night on ESPN+.

T.I. allegedly punched The Chainsmokers' member Andrew "Drew" Taggart in the face after a wild night in the club … which allegedly included an unsolicited kiss on the cheek.

Drew and his fellow Chainsmokers' DJ Alexander "Alex" Pall posted their Tip chronicles on TikTok, and captioned the encounter "When meeting T.I. Goes wrong."

Drew shamelessly admitted to kissing T.I. on the cheek ... chalking it up to being too comfortable around the megastar rapper. He says T.I. returned the kiss with a punch to the face, and turned to Alex, instructing him to "get your boy."

An exasperated T.I. woke up on Wednesday morning and went on Instagram to invite The Chainsmokers to his "ExpediTIously" podcast and attempt to hold in laughter retelling the story.

KSI is taking on not one, but TWO challengers when he steps in the ring on Aug. 27 ... and his rival Jake Paul is crapping all over the idea -- saying the whole thing sounds like a setup.

The English YouTuber is slated to fight both rapper Swarmz AND Bulgarian pro middleweight Ivan Nikolov (3-16-2) at the O2 in London ... which is not the first time a boxer has had more than one opponent in a night.

In fact, George Foreman took FIVE fights in one day back in 1975 ... but as Jake points out, it wasn't necessarily a great experience for the fans.

"George Foreman fought 4 people in 1 night and it was an awful showing," Paul said on Twitter minutes ago.

"At first it seemed like a good idea but eventually it actually pissed the fans off because they realized all the opponents were put in to lose. It was was basically a stunt, not worth the price of admission."

Jake's assessment isn't wrong -- reports from the night claim fans were booing by the time Foreman showed up on the scene.

Even though he doesn't mention him by name, it's obvious Jake is talking about KSI's new announcement ... which promoters are hoping will keep fans interested after Alex Wassabi had to pull out due to a concussion.

Ryan Garcia is coming to the defense of Adrien Broner -- who pulled out of his scheduled bout with Omar Figueroa Jr. citing mental health issues -- applauding the former champ for the decision, despite how fans may react.

"Love you AB, i know it’s not easy to step back and take time from the ring, but no doubt taking this time you will come back healthier and stronger," Garcia wrote on Twitter.

"Focusing on your mental health is not weakness it’s strength. You got my support #MentalHealthAwareness" he added.

Of course, Garcia has publicly dealt with mental health issues himself. In February, Garcia revealed he was battling depression, even admitting things got so bad, "I wanted to kill myself at one point."

Like Broner this week, Ryan withdrew from his fight with Javier Fortuna in April (they eventually fought in July -- Ryan won via KO in 6th Rd.).

As we reported yesterday, 33-year-old Broner called off his bout against Figueroa on Aug. 20 in Hollywood, FL. ... saying he's not in the right frame of mind to compete.

"Man, I'm going thru a lot at this moment in my life but I ain't go give up I set some more goals and UI ain't stopping until I finish what I started but sorry to say this but I'm not fighting #August20th," Broner wrote.

Broner also said, "I need to make some changes for the better instead of worrying about other people feelings and pleasing them when In all reality I have nothing to prove to nobody" ... adding he needed to overcome this obstacle before he risked his life inside the squared circle.

32-year-old Figueroa, however, wasn't buying AB's reasoning for withdrawing at the last minute ... and ripped the 34-4-1 fighter, challenging him to prove he's seeking help, and not pulling out for other reasons (OF accuses AB of not being in shape).

"Not saying you DON'T suffer from mental health issues as WE CAN ALL tell you do, just don't use it as an excuse now after you've been undisciplined and not taking this fight/training camp seriously," Figueroa wrote on social media.

"If it really IS mental health, PLEASE SHOW US THE PROOF THAT YOU WENT AND SOUGHT PROFESSIONAL HELP," Omar added.

Sadly ... this isn't the first time Broner and Figueroa were set to clash. In 2018, it was Figueroa who pulled out of their scheduled fight ... due to an injury.

Sorry boxing fans, a potential Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson exhibition is not happening ... The Real Deal tells TMZ Sports, it's just too late for the legends to square up again now.

Remember, Holyfield and Tyson were trying to set something up in the spring of 2021, but were so far apart in negotiations, they just couldn't come to an agreement.

When we saw Holyfield out at LAX this week -- we had to ask if there's been any movement on the front ... and he said, sadly, no.

"It's too late," the 59-year-old told us.

The two originally squared up back in 1996 and 1997 -- and both fights were epic (for various reasons) ... leading many to believe a third, less-serious tilt a couple decades later would be appealing.

Holyfield actually agreed ... but he added, "I'm done now."

The 59-year-old former boxing champ last fought in September 2021, losing an exhibition match against Vitor Belfort.

"I don't give a f*** and don't be surprised they like me more out there."

😂😂😂😂😂

That's Marlon "Chito" Vera (candidly) talking about fighting former UFC champ/future Hall of Famer Dominick Cruz in his hometown of San Diego ... the main event at Saturday's UFC Fight Night.

FYI, Vera is 29 years old and ranked 5th in the bantamweight division. Cruz is 37, and the #8 ranked bantamweight.

"I bring what people want to see, I bring what they like and it's the fire," Chito told us, adding ... "Maybe, in the beginning, they might be a little going for him but crowds love me, dude."

Chito has won three fights in a row, including beating Frankie Edgar (November 2021) and Rob Font (April 2022), and believes the Cruz fight is a chance to put the world on notice.

"It's a great opportunity to shine. It's a great opportunity to show the world what's up. It's a great opportunity to just let the UFC know I'm the next guy coming out for that belt and I can say all the crazy s*** I want but at the end of the day, I gotta get there and win and I'm prepared for that."

There's much more in the video with Vera!

We also talked to Dom -- who believes he's on the path to once again being champ -- and he couldn't be more pumped to continue that journey in front of his hometown fans.

"Well, it's incredible. San Diego, you know, we've been known a lot for saying we can't get that world championship -- baseball, football, all these sports. You've had a two-time world champion that was born here that has been representing that state for a long time."

"I'm here! I'm the champion of San Diego!"

NFL legend Frank Gore has been hit with an assault charge ... after cops say he was involved in a domestic violence incident with a 28-year-old woman last month.

The Atlantic City Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... back on July 31 at around 8:11 AM, officers were called to the Tropicana Atlantic City in New Jersey regarding a report of a domestic violence dispute.

Cops say a 28-year-old woman, who they did not identify, was speaking with hotel security ... but "did not exhibit signs of injury and complaints were not filed at the time."

Police, though, say after an investigation was launched ... Gore was ultimately charged this week with simple assault "related to the domestic violence incident."

No further details regarding the allegations were revealed.

According to court records, the 39-year-old former San Francisco 49ers superstar is due for a hearing on the matter in mid-October.

Gore is widely considered one of the greatest NFL running backs ever -- he played 16 seasons in the league, and rushed for 16,000 yards ... the third-most all-time.

The Padres didn't show much fight on the field on Monday night, but their fans in the stands certainly did ... as several men got involved in a wild fracas out in right field.

The melee happened at some point during San Diego's lifeless 1-0 loss to the Giants at Petco Park -- when four people got into a tiff.

It's unclear what started the altercation, but video shows it got violent in a hurry ... when one fan in a Padres jersey attempted to Sparta-kick a man down a row of stairs.

The guy, though, somehow ended up staying on his feet -- and then he dragged the Padres supporter down the stairs himself.

Eventually, two other guys jumped into the fray and began throwing punches.

The men traded blows for a few seconds -- before a bevy of security guards raced into the action to break it up.

The war of words between Britney Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline is raging on ... and now his attorney says their teenage boys are backing Jamie Spears.

K-Fed's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, responded to Britney and new husband Sam Asghari's weekend attack on Kevin, telling a photog outside Craig's in WeHo Sam doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

Britney's ex claims their two kids, 16-year-old Sean Preston and 15-year-old Jayden James, are avoiding their mom on purpose ... and Kaplan says the family member they really miss is their grandfather Jamie.

Brit's boys supporting Jamie creates an interesting family dynamic here ... there's clearly a wall between them and their mom ... and Kaplan makes it sound like the boys will see Jamie before they see Britney, despite a restraining order against grandpa.

Remember ... Kevin ignited the back-and-forth when he did a recent interview with DailyMail, a portion of which was posted Saturday, where he claimed Britney's kids haven't seen their mom in months, skipped her wedding to Sam and are put off by her partially nude social media posts.

Britney and Sam fired a return salvo, ripping K-Fed for talking about her relationship with her kids in public and claiming he's out of work and living off child support payments.

Kevin's attorney took issue with Britney and Sam's coordinated attack ... he claims K-Fed and his wife Victoria work 24/7 to keep Sean and Jayden out of the limelight and says there's no negative words against Britney or Sam in Kevin's household.

Kaplan says Britney should appreciate how much time Kevin logs being a parent and refutes the notion K-Fed is out of work, though he doesn't say what his job is outside of being a full-time dad.

While Kaplan says Sam just doesn't know Kevin well enough to attack him, he says K-Fed understands Sam is Britney’s new hubby, which means Sam is not going to take a position against her.

Paolo Banchero is responding to Dejounte Murray -- who torched the NBA rookie for allegedly changing after getting drafted first overall -- saying he's the "same humble kid" he's been.

The backstory. 19-year-old Banchero and 25-year-old Murray played in Isaiah Thomas' Pro-Am hoops tourney this weekend ... when Dejounte, guarded by Paolo, alley-ooped the ball to himself, and emphatically threw down a dunk.

The Atlanta Hawks guard put the highlight on his IG ... captioning, "WELCOME TO THE BIG LEAGUES!!!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Disrespectful They Said….. 🤷🏽‍♂️ Yeahhhhh I KNOW!!!!!!!!""

Murray also wrote ... "You tried to flex that #1 pick s**t on me when I been rooting for you when you was a kid asking to rebound for me [Paolo]. Don’t get on this internet saying nothing… You changed from the humble kid you always was and I stand on real s**t boy and YOU KNOW!!!!!!!! You made it and changed and I lost all respect!!"

But, Murray didn't get the last word ... Banchero answered on social media, writing, "Same humble kid. Always vouched for u bro. Don't switch tha narrative for tha internet."

Now we're all caught up.

Chances are this isn't over ... Murray, who was traded to the Hawks in June, and Banchero, Orlando Magic forward, are both in the Southeast Division ... and will come face-to-face on the court this season.

Jake Paul and KSI will finally step in the ring and squash their beef for good -- with the YouTubers-turned-fighters agreeing to a boxing match in 2023.

The two superstars aired out their negotiations via Twitter on Monday ... and they sound serious about making it happen.

"I’m gonna send you a contract," KSI tweeted at Jake. "We fight next year. Wembley Stadium. Winner of the fight takes all. 100% of the purse will be on the line."

"Put your money where your mouth is and let’s finally end this."

Jake was quick to reply ... saying he's "1,000%" down -- as long as KSI admits he's the inferior boxer right now.

"As of today in boxing you’re better," KSI clapped back. "Let’s run it bitch."

The history runs deep between the two -- remember, KSI first called out both Jake and Logan after his first win over Joe Weller in 2018 ... but the Problem Child ultimately took on his little brother, Deji, later that year.

Jake had previously talked about avenging KSI's win over Logan in 2019 ... but eventually went on to fight guys like Nate Robinson, Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.

Things got even more heated between the two this week ... with Jake and KSI barking at each other over their own boxing events' issues.

KSI -- who recently showed off his insane body transformation -- was slated to fight Alex Wassabi later this month, but will now go up against rapper Swarmz on Aug 27 ... despite Jake's offer to fight him on short notice.

"Platinum" Mike Perry says his upcoming fight with Michael "Venom" Page isn't just the biggest Bare Knuckle bout ever ... it's one of the biggest fights of all time, period.

We talked to the 30-year-old fighter just two weeks before his BKFC 27 fight in London against MVP on August 20 ... a fight featuring two MMA stars turned bare-knuckle boxers.

"This is one of the biggest fights in my opinion," Platinum told TMZ Sports, seemingly leaving out the BKFC descriptor when we asked about the magnitude of this fight.

"Period?" ... we followed up.

"Yeah, I mean for the fans that love fighting, I go in there and do what it do. I get angry and I try to take a guy out. MVP is flashy. He tries to take a guy out and, you know, I'm trying to touch that line too. Flashy, angry, try to keep my cool, but I'm always so aggressive because I have that in my back pocket, that ferocity. I gotta be able to take it and give it."

What's undeniable ... this is a fun fight. Biggest or not.

Perry, who is tough as nails and down for a brawl, has been locked in a cage with some of the baddest dudes in the world like Paul Felder and Alex "Cowboy" Oliveira, and not just come out in one piece, but victorious.

As for Venom Page ... he's got a different style than Perry -- he's flashy -- and has lost only twice throughout his entire career -- spanning back to 2012.

We also talked to Perry about going to hostile territory for the fight ... something he's actually reveling in.

"Man, [the hostile crowd] fires me up! Gets my blood boiling and I'm pumped to go out there and put on the show," Mike says, adding, "I hope they're throwing violent slurs at me and like, you know, just trying to really get me in the zone for the fight."

As for how the fight will look, Perry says he doesn't know if it'll last a minute, a round, or more ... but he knows one thing, he's getting a knockout.

"I honestly could have died."

Terrell Owens says even though the incident with his neighbor ended without violence, the interaction could've easily taken a deadly turn, and TO says that's why he won't simply move on as if nothing happened.

The 48-year-old Hall of Famer joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... where Owens addressed his neighbor calling the cops on him for allegedly speeding near his home in Florida Wednesday night.

Prior to police arriving, Terrell and the woman got into a verbal dispute. The woman claimed TO threatened her, and was heard saying, "You're a Black man approaching a white woman!" The NFL legend is adamant he didn't threaten anyone.

Owens explained why he believes he was lucky.

"If the wrong type of cops came out, if they got the wrong type of information. Her, you saw the video, she started crying, you never know how that situation could've turned."

And, that's something TO says he was "very aware" of in the moment. He stayed calm because he feared for his safety.

"I could've died. Honestly, I could have died and the storyline would be totally different."

Thankfully, that didn't happen. The officer who responded maintained order, and everyone ultimately went on their way.

But, now that he's had time to reflect, Owens believes his neighbor should face repercussions.

"I'm hoping the people here in Florida, they're monitoring what has transpired," TO says, specifically saying he hopes the state's [Attorney General] examines the situation.

Add AJ McKee to the list of people who want to beat up former kickboxing champ and internet star Andrew Tate, with the Bellator star telling TMZ Sports, "I wanna put my fist in his mouth!"

35-year-old Tate -- one of the most polarizing people on the internet -- has become a staple on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok ... with his often very controversial takes.

Enter McKee, the 18-1 MMA star says he's tired of Tate popping up on his stream, 'cause the guy rubs him the wrong way.

"There's nothing really up with us. I'm just tired of hearing and seeing and -- like bro, every time I get on Instagram, I see him in my feed. It's annoying! He's always talking. He tries to project himself as this macho, just this OG guy."

And, AJ isn't sweating the significant size difference.

"I'm a 155-pounder now, you're a kickboxer, cool. We can step in the boxing ring and box. I'd love that. I mean, I can't find a boxing match at the moment so I mean, if I gotta jump three weight classes up there, I'm fine with that," McKee says.

AJ clearly takes umbrage with Tate's views on men and women, telling us "[Tate's] rude as s**t. It's like you're a misogynist towards women. It's like bro, how do you feel about your mother, ya idiot! She's the reason why you're on the planet. You talk that way about your mother?"

Now, 6'1", 200-ish lb. Tate isn't any ordinary internet star ... he was a legit, professional fighter. A kickboxing champion. He also beat Luke Barnatt in an MMA fight in 2010. Luke went on to fight in the UFC.

AJ says he's not doing this for notoriety -- he just wants to show off his talents -- and he's down to do it in an MMA cage or boxing ring.

"I ain't chasing clout. I'm looking for opportunities to showcase my skills in any and every area like boxing. I mean, I ain't trying to kickbox with him, he's a big boy, but we can definitely throw some hands. We can definitely do some MMA if he wants to kick."

As for McKee's skills ... he's simply one of the best fighters in the world. He was the 145 lb. Bellator champ ... and only lost his belt after a controversial decision loss vs. fellow star Patricio "Pitbull" Freire. It's the only time AJ's ever been defeated.

Tate's already been rumored to be a future boxing opponent for Jake Paul ... but if that doesn't happen, AJ's ready to go.

McKee left us with this message to Tate.

Wiz Khalifa's finally breaking his silence about his angry tirade toward a pair of L.A.-based DJs inside a nightclub ... and he's admitting he was outta line.

During a special edition Breakfast Club interview on Friday, DJ Envy took it upon himself to interview Wiz alongside DJ Drama to rep for all the turntablists worldwide … who may have been bothered at the sight of the star rapper trashing their backup support.

For his part, Wiz didn’t hide behind his celebrity, admitting he wasn’t too big to say he was sorry.

“I apologize to anybody I’ve offended … sincerely,” the Taylor Gang CEO said to kick off the interview, before explaining what went down, from his POV.

According to Wiz, he was booked at club Poppy in WeHo to promote his new album, “Multiverse,” but when it came for his time on the mic, the song order -- which his team sent beforehand -- was outta wack. Also, other songs not included in the setlist randomly popped up during the performance.

Wiz admits that's when he lost his cool -- but in the aftermath, he's taken a lot of heat from the tight-knit DJ community, perhaps most notably from Kid Capri … who actually had a hand in staging the Breakfast Club summit.

Envy says Capri called him asking for Drama’s number and shortly after, the interview was set.

Wiz says he reached out to the DJ, Mikey Danger, multiple times … we have as well.